Fudraising and Evangelism

Look out world! In just a few short months you will be able to purchase the one and only A Taste of Hungary: The Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute Cookbook! This very special cookbook is a fundraiser that Paul and I are using to raise money for the WOL Hungary BI Scholarship Fund. This summer, as we travel from church to church during our furlough in the States, we will promote the cookbook in hopes of raising awareness about the Scholarship Fund. The cookbook will consist of traditional Hungarian recipes and recipes from our staff here at WOL. It will also have several pages about the history of WOL Hungary and information about the Scholarship Fund. I found a publication company that was willing to help us compile the recipes and informational pages into a professional cookbook. If we receive enough donations through the 200 books this summer, we will have enough proceeds to fully support one Hungarian during their year at Bible Institute! Our real prayer is that the cookbook will be an informational tool that will excite people about supporting an individual BI student themselves. Perhaps a Sunday school class or small group will want to help just one young person monthly as they study God's Word and prepare to go into the ministry themselves. Almost every week we hear of a young person who desperately wants to come to Bible school, but simply does not have the financial means to do so. How awesome it would be to give every young person the opportunity to study God's Word at WOL, no matter what their financial position. Please pray with us that the Lord will use this cookbook fundraiser in amazing ways this summer. Perhaps it will be through you!

God is doing an awesome work through our little Bible Club on Jókai Utca Street! We have had an average of 12-15 children coming every Friday to play games, sing songs, and learn from God's Word. Recently we held an outreach pizza party through which the children could invited their friends. Thirty-five children attended the free pizza party and movie event! It was incredible! We were not expecting such a large turnout, but the Lord had other plans. The children greatly enjoyed the pizza, movie, and games, but the most exciting event of the night was the Gospel presentation. All thirty-five children heard about God's plan of salvation, and fifteen chose to accept the Lord into their hearts! How exciting! I truly think it was one of the highlights of my life! God has chosen us to be vessels for His work. He has great plans for each of these children, and I am so excited to be a part of it! Please pray for each of these little hearts as they choose to walk with the Lord daily.

Eight more weeks and I will be a college graduate! For the past year I have been a full-time student with Liberty University's online Distance Learning Program. It has been a difficult and very long year of studying, but soon it will all be worth it! I cannot wait until next year when I can begin participating in the ministry even more and helping Paul in the office.

We will be leaving for the States on furlough just a few days after the Bible Institute's graduation ceremony on May 28th. Perhaps your church is interested in hearing about the great things God is doing at Word of Life Hungary. If you would like us to share with your congregation or your small group, please let us know. We would love to encourage you through our ministry.

Following in His Footsteps

Sziasztok mindenkinek! Hello to everyone! Wow... it's shameful to see how long it's been since my last blog update! So sorry to all our faithful followers. It is safe to say that Paul and I have had many adventures since my last post; too many to share in one update, but I will do my best to fill you in!

The Bible Club has been doing very well since we started last October. We have had an average of 10-12 kids in attendence at our home every Friday afternoon. If I were to count all the different children who have come, the number would be around 20, half of which are not regular church-goers. It is always exciting to see a new little face in one of our meetings! One of our goals as leaders is to get the kids excited about studying God's Word and memorizing Scripture. It is so exciting to see the kids recite their memory verse every week and show us their quiet time/devotional journal. On the wall is a sticker chart with every child's name. Each child can earn points for the week as they learn their verses, do their quiet time, go to church, and invite friends to club. At the end of the year, there will be rewards according to the points they earn. The kids are very excited about this system, as I'm sure you can imagine! Below are some pictures from one of our clubs near Christmas time. The kids are crafting "Christmas shoes". It is Hungarian tradition where candy is left in the shoes of good little boys and girls. What fun!

Amongst other adventures, Paul and I have had the wonderful opportunity of ministering in several Hungarian churches. One of the most exciting was our trip to the largest Baptist church in Hungary, located in Debrecen. There Paul was able to preach the morning and evening service and encourage the congregation. We also got to know the senior pastor, Lajos (pictured below to the left of Paul). He is a very busy man, pastoring a large church and working full time as the librarian of the Reformed Seminary. It was good to build relations with him and be able to share our ministry with his congregation. A whole group from Word of Life came with us to promote the Bible Institute to the young people. Below are a few pictures of our trip, including the seminary and library where Lajos works.

The latest big event with Word of Life Hungary was our annual Missions Conference, held just last weekend. This year the focus was on South Korea. Did you know that other than the United States, South Korea sends out the most missionaries every year, over 1,000! Many South Koreans are leaving their home to serve the Lord everyday, but most are not adequetly trained in the Scriptures. Word of Life Korea is helping to change all that. This September, WOL Korea will open their very first Bible Institute in Asia! Construction is beginning in March, and with it comes many expenses. This year, our Missions Conference helped to raise money for one of the dormatories that will be built. During the conference we were encouraged by Chris Stout, the International Missions Director of Word of Life. He and his wife, Debbie, flew all the way from New York to share in our conference. We were challenged to dream big, and not let our insecurities and comforts keep us from serving the Lord. It was a great weekend, and much of the credit goes to my wonderful husband who coordinated the whole conference. I think he's still recovering!

As you can see, we have been busy. But God is SO SO good and we will keep pressing on to the next adventure!

Join the Club!

Just thought you may enjoy seeing a few pictures from our first Toalmasi Biblia Klub! Eight special children attended our club, including two from our own neighborhood. We had fun making paperbag puppets, playing with the handbells, watching a puppet show, and hearing from God's Word. The club will continue to be held in our home every Friday.

At 3pm on Friday, I heard a little tap, tap, tap on our door. It was this little guy, Zsolti (holding the lion puppet, below). He had read the sign in our front yard and thought the club had already started! I told him sweetly that the club would be at 4:30, and to come back then. He was very happy and ended up bringing his sister as well. What a sweetheart!

God certainly has plans for this little club. Please pray with us as He uses the Toalmasi Biblia Klub to reach the children of our village with the Gospel of Christ. Please pray that the children are excited to come to club every week, that they stay faithful, and that they will invite their friends to come as well. But most importantly, please pray that these children come to a saving knowledge of Christ and a desire to know Him better each day.

Opening Meeting for the Bible Club: 5 Days in Counting!

It's hard to believe that in only five days, our dining room will be filled up with neighborhood children. In five days, our entryway will be turned into a puppet stage. In five days, the children in our neighborhood may hear the Gospel for the very first time. In five days the official Tóalmási Biblia Klub begins! We are SO excited to see what God is going to do! Our plan: most of the children in our little village have not grown up in Christian homes. In fact, they may not even have one Bible available to them in their home. Our desire is to get these kids excited about God and His Word. We want to share with them all of the exciting Bible stories, miracles, and promises that we were so priveleged to grow up with in a Christian home. But most importantly, we want these children to come to faith in Jesus Christ and trust Him as their savior.

Make no bones about it - Bible clubs are effective! In fact, there is a family of 3 girls and 2 boys who used to attend a Bible club in Tóalmás about 10 years ago. They had a difficult home life, and were able to find some peace by attending the weekly club meeting. All five children were saved through the club and are now living out their Christian faith daily. In fact, two of the sisters graduated from our Bible Institute, and one sister even works for Word of Life!

Although we are entirely excited about the beginning of Club, we really need your prayers. Satan will do anything and everything to hinder God's work in these children's hearts. Please pray that the Lord is preparing these children to hear the Gospel; that they would be receptive to the message, and come to know Him. Please pray that you will give us clarity in our presentation and loving hearts towards these children. And finally, please pray that they will come back! We will be having the Club every Friday afternoon, and we want the children to bring their friends so more can come to know the Lord!

Amongst other things, we have stayed pretty cotton-pickn' busy! To the left is a picture of four good-looking Dallas Theological Seminary Alumni. In fact, the man on the left is the Professor of Missions from DTS. Walt Baker and his wife were on the mission field in Haiti for 11 years. Since then he has taught Missions at DTS. The Bakers were taking an extended ministry trip to visit various former graduates throughout Europe. What a blessing for us! The man in the middle is Ronnie Stevens, the pastor of the International Church in Budapest, and to his left is Laci Kadar, one of our teachers here at WOL. We had a mini Dallas reunion lunch in our home while the Bakers were in town.

Three weeks ago we were blessed to have Dr. Carlos Pinto, from WOL Brazil, come and teach Dispensationalism to our students. I invited his wife, Artemis, to come to our home and speak to our staff ladies about the godly wisdom and knowldege she has gained from raising a family on the mission field. It was a blessed time, and I really think all our ladies left the evening encouraged in the Lord. Above are some pictures of our fellowship.

Please pray for us as we continue to balance a life of ministry and relationships. Paul is constantly having to prioritize his time for the day. There are just not enough worker bees in the hive! But God is good and He has truly blessed us with a wonderful ministry and life. Until next time... sziazstok!

Don't forget to check out my new pole for ya'll on the left side of this website!

Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute Class of 2009-2010!

The notebooks are printed, the pencils are sharpened, and the desks are arranged…. That’s right! The 2009-2010 Word of Life Bible Institute school year has begun! Last weekend the official opening orientation of our Bible School began in full swing. Thirty-one students from 8 different countries have come to WOL Hungary to dive into a year of 24/7 Bible study, Christian fellowship, and training for the ministry. This is Paul’s first official year as Director of the Bible Institute, and although he was overwhelmed at times, he did an amazing job organizing the orientations, preparing for classes, and meeting new students. He even preached twice over the weekend! Words cannot express the pride I have for my husband or the joy in my heart for the amazing things I know God will do this year. Though we have a smaller class than usual, I truly believe the Lord is going to use each and every student for His glory! Each one is special and the Lord has an amazing plan for their lives.

The topic of the opening weekend was “Discipleship”. The focus was to encourage the students for the year ahead; to prepare their hearts for God’s working, and to remind them to stay faithful in their walk with the Lord. This year Paul is implementing a new discipleship program between the staff and students. Each staff member will take 2-3 students under his or her wing and encourage them throughout the school year. There will be a Bible study that we go through together, and times of prayer and conversation. I’m really excited to see the ways God will use our leaders to encourage the students.

Pictured below are five our Hungarian female students from last year, plus our Dean of Women on the far left. How exciting it is to know that each of these women have been trained in God's Word and are going out to reach others for Christ! The Bible School ministry is so unique because it has a ripple effect. The students are trained in the Word, and then through them, others are saved and discipled. Awesome!

This first week of Bible school deals strictly with personal evangelism. The students are learning how to share the Gospel and their testimonies in a clear, concise, and exciting manner. On Thursday and Friday, each and every staff member and student will all hop on a bus, travel to Budapest, and hit the streets to evangelize! Please pray for this exciting event. I am certain several of the students are nervous about street evangelism, just as I am. But once you realize the Man you are sharing about, all fears go out the window! Please pray that our student’s hearts will be sensitive to the spirit and that God would be preparing people to receive the Gospel!

Paul and I were able to take a two-day vacation this summer to Lake Heviz. It is a famous mineral lake in Western Hungary. We enjoyed getting out for a couple days and feeling like tourists! Here we are, relaxing at a coffee shop near out hotel. Now it’s back to work!

Please pray for Paul as he prepares to teach Biblical Theology next week. He has a lot on his plate this year, but I know that he is the right man for the job. With the Lord’s grace, he will do amazing things for the glory of God.

And as for my garden… I think she has finally called it kaputs for the year. I was able to can 7 jars of salsa, 10 jars of tomato soup, and 12 jars of pasta sauce, not to mention the entire drawer full of green beans and zucchini we’ve got stashed away in the freezer. I think “we done pretty gud”. I went to the garden nursery today… oh man, I wanted everything in that place. It’s so hard for me not to overdo it! I’m really trying to wait to landscape until we put up a fence next spring. That is, if we have the funds to do it. Until then, I’ll just have to stick with my maters and greenbeans!

Preserving and Preparing

It's that time of year again! Tomatoes are in season and our garden is working overtime. I think I had 23 tomato plants this year! Unfortunately, a few were destroyed by a terrible windstorm about a month ago, but the survivers stood strong and are producing like crazy.

I thought maybe you would like to see a pictorial of one of my maniac canning sessions. Last week I canned 16 jars of homemade pasta sauce to have on hand for the year. A 24 oz jar of marinara sauce costs about $3 here in Hungary. According to my calculations, I probably saved around $40 doing the work myself. Maybe I should convince Paul to add that $40 to my allowance!

Step 1: Remove the skin from the tomatoes. I did this by making an "x" with a paring knife on the bottom of each tomato. I boiled the tomatoes in hot water for about 3 minutes. The skin falls right off!






Step 2: Chop onions and garlic. I am proud to present my brand new food processer! Wow! I love this machine! It chopped up thoses onions and garlic in no time! I can't believe I've been living my whole life without this beauty. I am so Amish!






Step 3: In a dutch oven, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Then I added the tomatoes (which I had pureed earlier in the food processor), basil, oregano, salt, and peppper. Allow to simmer until sauce is reduced and thick, about 1 hour.






Step 4: Get canning! I was so incredibly blessed to receive this beautiful pressure cooker/canner from a wonderful supporter earlier this year. Mary Moffitt is a dear friend who told knows my domestic desires and asked if I would like to have her pressure canner. I jumped on the opportunity, and now here it is, all the way in Hungary! Thank you so much, Mary! Maybe I should give you my saved $40!

All in all, it took me about 5 hours to prepare and can 16 jars of sauce. It was a long morning, but it will be well worth the investment on a night when I don't feel like cooking, or an unexpected guest drops by. I hope to also can some tomato soup and salsa later next week.

There are still plenty of tomatoes in my garden. Come on by and get ya some!


Ministry Update

I suppose I should also talk a little bit about our ministry, since that's why we are here! Paul and I have spent the entire summer settling into our new home and learning Hungarian. It has been a very tiring but encouraging three months. The Lord has really blessed us by making it possible to buy a home in Tóalmás, and by opening up our brains to be able to learn Hungarian. We are understanding more and more everyday. And although we cannot speak anywhere near fluently, God has given us a peace. I used to stress and be hard on myself for not speaking better by now, but the Lord has shown me and Paul that we need to work hard, do our best, and seek to please the Him first. That's all we can do. Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages in the world, but God is showing us that through Him, all things are possible!

Please pray for us as another Bible school year is quickly approaching. Opening weekend is September 11th! Paul is very busy preparing for his first full year as Bible School Director. He has to organize guest teachers, prepare the classroom, keep in touch with students, get offices ready, and many many other tasks. Please pray that he does not get overwhelmed and is able to devote enough time to each responsibility.

Meanwhile, I have stepped into the Admissions department until an intern comes to take my place sometime in September. I have been busy processing applications, writing emails to students, and organizing Visa information. I had no idea this job is so involved. Next week I start my online courses with Liberty University. Please pray that I do not get overwhelmed either!

The 2009-2010 Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute school year is sure to be one of change, excitement, and anticipation. Our greatest desire is to train as many young people as possible to know God's Word and to serve Him faithfully. Please pray with us for these incoming students. God is going to do a great work in them this year!

Blueberries and Buddies!

Blueberries: a true taste of summer. Nothing can quite compare to the mouthwatering taste of fresh blueberry pie, or homemade blueberry muffins. They are truly little gems of perfection. Eventually I would like to raise my own blueberry bushes right here in Hungary so we can have goodies all year long. Recently, I ran across the website for the U.S. Highbush Berry Council. Over the years, the highbush blueberry has been cultivated into one of the juiciest and healthiest berries available. While reading the website, I noticed that they had posted a blueberry recipe contest. First prize: $1000! The rules were to create any original recipe using blueberries as the main ingredient and to post your recipe with a picture on your blog. So here I go... my entry for the U.S. Highbush Berry Council's Blogger Blueberry Recipe Contest... Blueberry White Chocolate Souffle! Wish me luck!

Blueberry White Chocolate Soufflé

Sauce:
3 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1 ½ C sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp corn starch

Soufflé:
½ C sugar + more for dusting soufflé ramekins and tops
6 egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp cream of tarter
3 oz. white chocolate chopped very finely

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease 4 cup-sized ramekins with real butter and then coat all sides with sugar.
   
2. Combine all the ingredients for the blueberry sauce in a medium sized sauce pan. Cook on medium-low until blueberries have burst and sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cool to room temperature. Reserve ½ C of the sauce for garnish later.


3. In a glass or metal bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tarter. While beating whites with a hand mixer, slowly add ½ C sugar. Beat until whites are at the soft-peak stage.


4. Slowly fold blueberry sauce into egg white mixture until the two are thoroughly combined. Carefully fold in the white chocolate.


5. Evenly distribute soufflé mix into four ramekins and sprinkle tops with sugar to form a crispy crust.


6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until soufflé has risen and the tops are a golden brown.


7. Serve immediately with reserved blueberry sauce and powdered sugar. Enjoy!
   

One of the most rewarding blessings about serving with Word of Life Hungary is the opportunity to see graduates of our Bible School at work in their own ministries. We have graduates all over the world, serving the Lord in many different capacities. Some are pastors, some are Christian school teachers, and some are on the mission field themselves. Recently we were blessed to have three of our WOL Hungary Alumni from Romania come for a visit, David and Felicia Lee (pictured far left), and Niko along with his wife Marta (far right).

David Lee and his wife Felicia both attended our Bible School about five years ago. David is from Ohio and Felicia is Romanian. They fell in love during Bible School, got married, had twin boys, and have been raising support ever since to return to Romania as missionaries. Their true passion is for the street children of Bucharest, Romania. Many are orphans or runaways from abusive homes. Unfortunately, many of these poor chidren turn to gangs to find acceptance and a family, which eventually leads to drug and alcohol abusive. David and Felicia have officially been back to Romania for three months now. They have raised support, packed up thier lives, and are living in the center of their mission field and in the center of God's will. Everyday, David heads to the streets in search of these street children. He shares with them the love of God and the hope they can have in a savior. He builds relationships with these children and offers them the medical help they may need. Though it is very difficult to break through the emotional and spiritual walls these street children have built over the years, David and Felicia are continuing to walk in faith and follow God's will for thier lives. We are so proud to call them graduates, but even more importantly, our friends.

Link to the Lee's website: http://www.4theleastofthese.com/news%20page.htm